One and One Make Two
by Ushiko
Summary: When Schwarz is disbanded because of Schuldich, will the telepath be able to break free of his new team, and find his way back to the people he really cares about? Shonen-ai. BxS. Language. 3 part Song-fic arc.
1. Remember Me

**Title:** Remember Me  
**Note:** First song fic in a song fic arc used to get my mind off of Fade to Black for a bit. (I needed something new.) This is done to the song "Remember Me" by Hoobastank. Rated R for lack of anything better to rate it. XD They really need a rating between PG-13 and R, you know? Oh wait, is that what M is? Eh heh. Shonen-ai. BxS. 

"No." Brad crossed his arms, glaring down at Schuldich. "You aren't going out tonight because I actually need you in working order tomorrow."  
"Oh, so now you _need_ me, is that it?" Schuldich sneered in disgust. "Suddenly when I want to go out and enjoy myself I'm actually part of your concern." Jabbing a finger at the chest of the man who was blocking his way, Schuldich smirked. "If I didn't know any better I'd think you were jealous."  
"Schuldich, I am not jealous of _you_." Brad's eyes narrowed in what Schuldich guessed as irritation.  
"Oh not of me, of the people I fuck."  
"Or get fucked by, right?" The quick comeback by Brad obviously hit Schuldich harder than expected, for the red head stood silent for a moment, contemplating a comeback.  
"Get out of my way." Schuldich settled for blunt instead. He wasn't quite sure when it had happened, but Brad had changed. At least his opinion of Schuldich had. 

_I stand here face to face  
With someone that I used to know  
He used to look at me and laugh_

With a look of almost triumph, Brad carefully moved to the side, allowing Schuldich to pass by him. Stopping with his hand resting on the doorknob, Schuldich glanced over his shoulder. Brad was leaning back against the countertop, his glasses in one hand as he gently rubbed the bridge of his nose. Schuldich knew the motion; it meant that Brad was deeply bothered by something.  
"Brad?" Schuldich turned halfway around as Brad quickly attempted to put on his glasses before Schuldich noticed the motion.  
"What now, Schuldich?" His voice was edged with irritation and impatience.  
"I was just wondering if you were okay." It wasn't a lie. Schuldich was actually really worried about his leader. If Brad was worried about something so much as to actually slip and let someone notice, then it was really bothering him.  
"Please Schuldich, what do you want?" Brad's voice was full of irritation and it occurred to Schuldich that he didn't actually believe Schuldich was concerned.  
"No Brad, I'm really concerned about you."  
"Schuldich, give it a rest. I've known you too long for this to actually sound real." A moment of silence lingered in the air as Schuldich's anger slowly returned at the comment. Finally Brad just turned from the room, muttering a mere, "go ahead, go get drunk and laid for all I care" before he walked off.  
Slamming the door behind him, Schuldich set out to do just that. 

_But now he claims  
That he's known me for so very long  
But I remember being no one_

Taking a seat by the bar, Schuldich quickly ordered a drink. He was angry now, but not at Brad. He was angry at himself for not being able to _stay_ mad at Brad. In a way Schuldich was just confusing himself. Above all, he knew what he wanted, and it was definitely not to be mad at Brad.  
Of course, Schuldich would never admit to what he wanted. An old saying screamed out in the back of his mind, but he shoved it away as he reached across the bar to snatch the drink the barkeeper had passed his way. Downing the drink easily, Schuldich ordered another. He watched as the drink slid to him in what seemed like slow motion, but right as it was within his grasp, another hand reached out and snatched it up.  
Schuldich turned, ready to rip apart whoever's mind had just taken _his_ drink. To his astonishment though, Brad stood towering over the sitting man, Schuldich's drink in one hand, while his own business coat was draped over his other arm. Setting the drink down, Brad reached out and grabbed one of Schuldich's wrists, pulling the younger man off the bar stool and out of the club. When he could finally gather enough senses to acknowledge what was going on, Schuldich quickly snapped his wrist away from Brad's grasp.  
"What the hell are you doing here?" Quickly noting his words were slightly slurred, Schuldich mentally cursed. This must have looked great.  
"I told you, Schuldich, that you cannot get drunk and laid tonight." Brad's eyes were guarded, and his mind was shielded, so Schuldich couldn't really figure out what he was aiming at.  
"No, you said I had to be in _working order_." Smirking in triumph, Schuldich pressed further. "And you specifically said 'go ahead, go get drunk and laid'."  
"Damn it Schuldich, I was angry!" Brad snapped suddenly, completely catching Schuldich off guard. The calm and collected Brad was falling apart at the seams; it seemed too strange to be true. "I was lying and I want you at home right now!" 

_I wanted to be just like you  
So perfect, so untouchable  
Now you want me to be with you_

"So what changed?" Schuldich could feel the effects of the limited alcohol slowly fading from his system. Something had passed across Brad's face in that second of sheer emotion that had caught his eye, but it was gone and Schuldich couldn't place it. He really did hate drunken reactions every now and then.  
"Get in the car, let me take you home, and I'll explain on the way there." Brad's entire sense of being seemed to be coming back to him as he quickly rounded to the other side of the car and got in. After thinking it through for a few minutes, Schuldich opened the passenger door and slid in.  
"Well, start spilling." Buckling his seat belt, Schuldich turned as much as he could in his seat to watch Brad, who carefully started the car and pulled out into traffic.  
"Esset called and they want to talk to us," Sparing a glance from the road to Schuldich, Brad added dryly, "tomorrow morning."  
"So you kept me from getting plastered to the wall just because Esset wants to talk to us?" Schuldich sounded mildly amused. In reality, he was. Usually Brad didn't care if he went to Esset with a mild hangover. Yet suddenly he cared?  
"In case you hadn't noticed, Esset is not happy with our current progressiveness, and it leaves me reason to believe that they might want to split the team apart and spread us out." Despite the fact that Brad's eyes were now fixed on the road ahead of him, Schuldich was sure of what he saw pass through Brad's eyes. It was the first hint of real fear.  
"What do you suggest, oh fearless leader?" Schuldich quickly crossed his arms and sat back in his seat.  
"I suggest we start getting along a bit better than we have been." There was an edge to Brad's voice, but Schuldich chose to ignore it. 

_Someone who used to have it all  
Do you remember now  
You acted like you never noticed me_

"Just to make Esset happy, you'd get along with me?" Schuldich smirked to himself in the side mirror as Brad pulled to a stop in front of the penthouse.  
"No Schuldich, but for Nagi and Farfarello's sake I would." They sat for a moment in silence as the words sunk into Schuldich's head. The fact of the matter was, both Schuldich and Brad had been through Rosenkreuz and survived. They were top ranking students, but Nagi and Farfarello had been picked up by Brad without first going through the school. If the team was spread out, then the only thing that would happen was Brad and Schuldich would be put on different teams, and Nagi and Farfarello would be thrown back onto the street. Or worse yet, they'd be taken to Rosenkreuz.  
A halfhearted smirk slowly crawled onto Schuldich's face, but his eyes remained neutral as he stared out the front window. "You're just worried about the two of them?" What he wanted… what Schuldich really wanted…  
"I have no reason to worry for you." Brad answered after a moment, before slowly stepping out the car. He ducked his head back in the door window though, and sighed faintly. "Just go to bed Schuldich. I'll wake you up in the morning when we need to go."  
Scowling, Schuldich exited the car and headed inside the penthouse, making sure to slam all the doors behind him. 

_Forget it  
Cause the gone has come around  
And you're not allowed to be a part of me_

"Schuldich wake up." Brad's voice slowly registered in Schuldich's mind, but his head hurt and he really didn't want to wake up. Of course the hand shaking his body awake wasn't helping matters any.  
"Damn it Brad, don't you know not to shake people with hangovers?" Quickly Schuldich shoved his way off his bed and trudged to the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. Falling next to the toilet seat, he emptied the little contents that were left in his stomach. He really did hate throwing up, not that anyone actually liked it, but he hated it none the less.  
"Schuldich, will you be okay?" Obviously Schuldich had failed to lock the door in his haste, which was just as well, since he needed to teach Brad a few things about waking people up.  
"I will be, yes, but damn it, you know not to shake someone who was out drinking!" Schuldich needed an outlet for his pent up anger, and Brad just happened to be there.  
"I didn't realize that so few drinks would have such an impact on your body's system." Out of the corner of his eye Schuldich watched Brad wet a washcloth in the sink and wring it out. But his vision blurred and he had to look back down at the floor in fear of losing whatever wasn't in his stomach.  
"Yeah well, that's what you get for working all the time." Schuldich half heartedly snapped back. He wasn't feeling angry right now, more depressed actually, and he didn't even really know why.  
Brad handed Schuldich the washcloth, his face and mind both carefully guarded. "Be ready in an hour." 

_Did you know me?  
Or were you too preoccupied  
With playing king in your small kingdom_

Schuldich stood staring at Takatori Reiji's nose. It was rude to look him in the eyes or look up like a snob, but Schuldich wouldn't give him the satisfaction of looking at the floor. No way. The only reason he hadn't done anything rude yet was because Brad had specifically ordered all of them to behave, and even Farfarello was doing so.  
"Your main employers have brought to my attention that someone has not been behaving themselves outside of my watch." Takatori's eyes were fixed to Schuldich, who was having an extremely hard time fighting the urge to take a step back. He wasn't afraid of Takatori as much as he was afraid of the golf club in his hand. Even that he wasn't exactly afraid of. He was merely wary.  
"I assure you, Takatori, that no one has stepped out of their bounds to defy you." Brad's calm voice seemed distant in Schuldich's ears as he started to take a slight step back.  
"You lie!" Takatori screamed suddenly, catching everyone off guard as he quickly swung the golf club, connecting it with the side of Schuldich's head. "You allow them to defy me! I'll tear your team apart!" Takatori swung the club again, but Schuldich knew it would only be worse if he dodged the outright attack.  
Yet right before the club connected with his head again, Schuldich spared a glance towards Brad. And right before the club hit him, he could have sworn… 

Maybe he was hallucinating from the first blow, but he could have sworn that Brad had started to move towards him. 

And then the club connected, and Schuldich's sight went black, and he never felt himself hit the floor. 

_And now the real world  
Has stripped you of your royalty  
And from your kingdom you're evicted_

"Wake up!" A sickening thudding surged through Schuldich's head as the hand shaking him didn't let up. He blinked a few times, trying to register thought, but failed at both. His eye sight blurred when he could finally see, and the figure above him fuzzed and seemed so far away.  
"Brad?" The moment he said it Schuldich knew the figure waking him up wasn't Brad. They were blond, and that was definitely something that Brad was not.  
"My name is Alicia. You were ordered to serve in our team until you…" The figure, now Schuldich could identify as a female, explained, "Until you cleaned up your act." She stopped shaking Schuldich finally, and the telepath just rolled over to stare at the wall.  
What the hell was going on? First he was being beaten by Takatori, now he was in some unfamiliar place with some girl waking him up, and something about getting his act together? This was definitely going on his top ten weird things.  
Rolling back over, Schuldich found he could actually sit up without his head splitting open. "I'm sorry," he paused for a moment, looking the girl over, "explain this to me again?"  
"Your team was disbanded temporarily by Esset. They said you needed to clean up your act, so they assigned you to our team." The girl smiled. She, Schuldich concluded, was too happy for his likes. Nothing like the leader he knew, his leader, Brad…  
"Your team?"  
"Yes, our team. Our leader, Kez, is a telekinetic. Lok is a clairvoyant, Martyr is a telepath, and I am a pyrokinetic." She rattled off the team members with little haste, and Schuldich fought to gather it all. "I'm sure you'll enjoy your time with our team. We're a very… good team I guess. We have our act together, so just act like us!"  
Schuldich stared at the girl, an incredulous look on his face. Finally he narrowed his eyes, staring straight at her, his usual smirk replaced with a heavy frown. With enough bitterness in his voice to kill, he quickly snapped out, "There is only one person I follow orders from, and it's not your leader. I will **not** act like you or your little team because I am not part of **your** team; I am part of **Brad's** team, so don't forget it." 

_I wanted to be just like you  
So perfect, so untouchable  
Now you want me to be with you_

"You will follow my orders because Esset has ordered it of you." A firm voice came from the doorway to the room, and Schuldich could only guess this was the leader, Kez. He didn't look all that dangerous, and Schuldich was sure that if he stood up face to face with Kez, he'd be a few inches taller. "I don't like this any more than you do," Kez continued, a look in his eyes that told Schuldich to stay silent, "but Esset ordered it, and thus, must be done."  
"You obey Esset too well." Schuldich muttered, sitting up and rubbing his face with his hands. "One day you'll realize that there's more to life than following orders."  
"That's exactly the type of attitude they want destroyed from you." Kez seemed angry, and Schuldich didn't blame him. He could take the wild guess that Kez had been trained at Rosenkreuz all his life, and that what Schuldich said was little less than treachery.  
"Hey Kez, who's the noob?" A boy about seventeen stuck his head in the doorway, his red hair falling in front of his face so that he had to brush it aside.  
"No one Martyr, he's not important." With that, Kez turned away from the door and walked back down the hall, leaving Martyr at the doorway and Alicia still in the room with Schuldich. Sighing loudly, Schuldich flopped onto his back on the bed, covering his face with his hands again. 

_Someone who used to have it all  
Do you remember now  
You acted like you never noticed me_

"So what is your name?" Martyr was standing next to Alicia now, and Schuldich moved one hand away so that he was staring at him with only one eye. Martyr was incredibly childish looking, with his red hair falling around his face in every direction. Glancing over to Alicia, he studied her for a few moments. Her hair was a natural looking blond, pulled back into a tight ponytail that fell to about her waist.  
Finally Schuldich turned back to Martyr, who was waiting patiently for a response. Schuldich was dying to know how good of a telepath the kid was at such a young age, but he didn't have the strength to test him out just yet. Soon though, he would test his theory that he could break the kid's shields. "My name is Schuldich." He stated finally, staring at the ceiling. "I'm a telepath, I don't belong to your team, and I won't pretend to." Schuldich paused, a random thought floating through his head. "Where the hell am I?"  
"You're at our penthouse, of course!" Martyr chimed cheerfully. Schuldich stared at him for a moment, trying to keep his face as neutral as possible. He knew he was failing, but he was trying. How could the kid be so… innocent? Even Nagi didn't act like this…  
Nagi. What the hell had happened to Nagi and Farfarello? And Brad too, for that matter. Where was his team? Sitting up quickly, Schuldich stared at the other two before finally voicing his question. "Where the hell is the rest of my team?"  
"We're right here, we are your team!" Martyr tilted his head to the side, and Schuldich had had enough.  
He quickly reached out and grabbed Martyr by the collar of his shirt, their faces mere centimeters away. Alicia let out a small scream of shock, but Martyr kept smiling like nothing was wrong. "This isn't my team." Schuldich spat at the boy, feeling his body tense. "How **dare** you even suggest such an absurd thing? Now where the hell is my team before I tear your mind to pieces looking for the answer?"  
"I don't think you really want to do that." Kez's voice came from the doorway, a perturbed look on his face as he watched Schuldich with cold eyes. "You might be in denial of us being your team, but I'm not. Martyr is part of my team, just as you are, and I suggest you not harm him."  
"Then tell me where my real team is, because you all sure as hell aren't them!" Schuldich's grip didn't loosen on Martyr, if anything, it tightened. Kez seemed to be noticing.  
"You couldn't tear Martyr's mind to shreds if you wanted to. You forget he too is a telepath." Kez's voice was neutral, no doubt in them at all. A smirk curved Schuldich's mouth as he turned his attention back to Martyr. He spoke staring at the smiling boy's eyes. "I could do it. I could do it, and never feel a thing of regret about it. Because," he turned back to Kez again, "I'm not the one in denial. I'm not one of you, and never will be." 

_Forget it  
Cause the gone has come around  
You're not allowed to be a part of me_

"You couldn't do it if you wanted to. Esset overrates Schwarz's use." The anger is Kez's voice was like venom, but Schuldich didn't care. He knew he could shred the kid's mind in a heartbeat and not care a thing about it.  
"I bet you my freedom from this team that I could do it." Schuldich didn't bother looking at Kez; he wanted to see Martyr's reaction to his words. Unfortunately it wasn't his words that made Martyr pale, but Kez's.  
"If you're so sure of yourself, then prove it. But no matter what you do, a part of you will regret it if you really can." 

_Part of me  
Part of me  
Part of me_

Schuldich didn't waste any time. As thought, breaking through the boy's shields was easy. They basically shattered at the merest pressure. Obviously no one else in this household had ever attempted to get past the telepath's shields. He could feel Martyr fighting him back, and he fought him off fairly well.  
"Kez, what the hell do you think you're doing?" The voice wasn't familiar, so Schuldich guessed it was Lok. Somewhere in the back of his mind, or maybe it was in Martyr's mind, he registered that Lok and Martyr were lovers, and Lok was not happy about his lover's current state of mind. Or therefore lack of one.  
Quickly phasing anything else in the room out, Schuldich was barely aware of the argument going on between clairvoyant and telekinetic. Just knowing Kez had the same power as Nagi made Schuldich work harder at his task. It was apparent to him from the start that he could do this, although the kid was putting up a better fight.  
"You'll never…" Schuldich was barely aware that Martyr was still awake, let alone speaking. "You'll never get inside my mind…" 

_You're never going to be a part of me  
You're never going to be a part of me  
You're never going to be a part of me  
You're never going to be a part of me  
You're never going to be a part of me  
You're never going to be a part of me_

Schuldich knew the moment Martyr finally slipping in unconsciousness because his mind opened like a rusted door finally breaking free. Memories and emotions flooded through his mind, and Schuldich learned more about Martyr then he had meant to. He had wanted to break the kid, but the kid was already broken, already insane, lost to the place where even Farfarello hadn't quite made it to. And somehow, Lok still loved this boy.  
And suddenly, the only thing Schuldich could think about was Brad. 

_Do you remember now  
You acted like you never noticed me  
Forget it_

Letting go of the unconscious boy's body, Schuldich turned to Kez, not bothering to show his hate. Kez actually looked surprised, and Lok looked about ready to kill Schuldich, which he probably was. Reaching out slowly, Kez laid a hand on Lok's shoulder, attempting to calm the tension running through his body.  
"What did you do?" Kez's voice was calm, quiet. He was scared, and for that, Schuldich smirked.  
"I did what I said I would do. I didn't break him though, because he was already broken. But I got inside." The smirk never faded as Schuldich watched Lok's face change expressions from anger to confusion and then back to an intense hatred. "The deal was made; I can go free from here."  
"Not until you…" Kez trailed off, searching for the right word, "until you fix him." Schuldich grinned at the wording of the sentence, and of the meaning.  
"He was already broken; I just went in, made myself at home amongst his memories, and then knocked him out. He'll be fine once he wakes up."  
"You swear it?" It was Lok's turn to speak up now, the tension still running through his body like a thin line.  
"For you, I swear it." And for some reason Schuldich couldn't understand, Lok nodded. He was really taking his word for it, which was good, since it was the truth.  
"Then you're free to go, but we cannot inform you of where you teammates are. For that, I am not sorry." The coldness in Kez's voice matched his solemn expression perfectly.  
"That's fine." Schuldich walked past Kez out into the hall, before turning back to face Lok. "It must really suck kid, to have a lover you can't touch." Lok looked surprised, and if he was, then it didn't matter, because Schuldich had already turned and found his way out of their penthouse into the cool night. 

_Cause the gone has come around  
You're not allowed to be a part of me_

Stretching his arms out, Schuldich smirked to himself. He had won his own freedom. Brad would have been proud. Speaking of the devil…  
"If I were Brad, where would I be…?" Shrugging, Schuldich decided to just go where he felt like. He'd run into him, and the rest of Schwarz, eventually. 

_Part of me  
Part of me  
Part of me_

**END PART I**

**Notes:** My views on clairvoyance differ from most people's view. The way I see it, clairvoyance is the power to see the past by touching someone or something of someone's, where as precognition is the power to see the future, usually randomly and not called upon. Thus explaining why it would make Lok and Martyr's relationship a difficult one. Not that you cared… 

PS. I just realized how long this was. DAMN I needed a break from Fade to Black…


	2. Meant to Live

**Title**: Meant to Live  
Part 2 of 3 of One and One Makes Two Arc  
**Notes**: As soon as I get done with this arc (the whole thing) I'll get back to Fade to Black. But that was just sucking the energy from me, and I needed to get my mind of it. Try and enjoy this. If you couldn't tell, everything I write completely defies the series. :) This part was done to the song "Meant to Live" by Switchfoot. Gooood song...   
  
Bloodrose 'Valentine' Foxxstar - For you, I add more. XD Hope you like this, and yes, I will finish it asap.  
  
Silverfrost - Thanks for the review! I'm writing, I'm writing! :)

Schuldich stood outside a club, staring at the bright lights coming from inside. He didn't want to go in, not really, but the part of himself that was addicted to all that attention wanted to go it. That part wanted to enjoy itself, to get all this out of his head. In a way, he was free of Esset. Until of course they found him again, but Schuldich didn't want to think about that. He didn't really want to think about anything.  
Yet he passed the club by, his only goal finding any of his teammates within a short amount of time. In the back his head, Schuldich knew that his current predicament was his entire fault. He tried to blame Brad for not warning him, but Brad had warned him, and Schuldich had only irritated his leader. That's right; Brad was still his leader, even after Schuldich knew he was somewhat free of Esset. Because deep inside, he realized he would never be free from Schwarz, or Brad. 

_Fumbling his confidence  
And wondering why the world has passed him by_

Pausing briefly in his quick strides, Schuldich stared down the road ahead of him. The night was still fresh; the darkness still so thick he couldn't see much of where he was going. He realized with a start that he was walking across a bridge, but not just any bridge. This was the bridge he had fled to when he had wanted to die. Stepping up to the railing, Schuldich took in a deep breath of the crisp night's air, remembering that night.  
Even now he couldn't remember what had pushed him over that limit, but somewhere along the line he had truly wished to die. He hadn't told anyone where he was going or what he planned on doing when he had left the penthouse that day, but that wasn't unusual. He often did that, usually to go clubbing or something. But this time had been different, even though he didn't know it until he had taken that step off the bridge. The air around him had hardly gotten the chance to mess his hair up before he felt something grip his wrist. He remembered being so startled when he looked up and saw Brad keeping him from falling.  
"Why?" His voice had been rough from his crying earlier as he managed out the single word. Brad hadn't said anything as he quickly pulled Schuldich back onto the bridge and onto his own two feet. Finally Brad took a deep breath, and Schuldich realized he'd been nervous.  
"I could never live with myself if I let you die." 

_Hoping that he's bent for more than arguments  
And failed attempts to fly, fly_

Somehow, now standing on that same bridge, Schuldich felt connected to Brad. Because in that one moment it had felt like nothing would ever come between them, that Brad would always protect him. But he wasn't here, Schuldich quickly pointed out to himself as he threw a rock over the railing, watching it hit the water far below with a small splash. Finally Schuldich decided to move on, his feet kicking up puffs of dirt as he dragged his feet in the dirt by the side of the road.  
Schuldich kept reaching out with his mind, brushing anyone around him, looking for someone familiar that could tell him where his teammates were. He brushed one mind that was in a frantic rush, and paused to dwell on it. Yet when he dwelt on it, the mind was just an empty void. Recognizing it almost immediately, Schuldich took off running in the direction that he felt he should go, the void getting closer and closer as he ran, until finally he stood in the opening of a dark alleyway.  
"Farfarello?" Schuldich called out to the Irish man weakly, still catching his breath. A golden eye gleamed from the alleyway, and the figure quickly stood and came to him. As he got closer to the mouth of the alleyway, Schuldich realized that Farfarello was carrying something. No, someone. Farfarello finally came to a stop, still hidden in the shadows, but he thrust the small body towards Schuldich, and as the faint light hit it, he felt his heart stop and skip a beat. "I killed the men who did this to him." Farfarello's eye stared directly at Schuldich, who carefully took Nagi from him, holding the small boy's body close to himself. Quickly Schuldich felt for a pulse and it was there, but faint. Letting out a sigh of relief, Schuldich looked at Farfarello.  
"He'll be okay, let's go find Brad." Smiling, Schuldich had Farfarello help put Nagi on his back so Schuldich could carry him easily. "There has to be a reason we're all still alive, so let's make the best of it." Reaching out with his mind, Schuldich brushed against Nagi's, just to make sure. The kid was still there, still whole and as good as he usually was. He would be just fine in a bit. Now all Schuldich had to worry about was how to get home. 

_We were meant to live for so much more  
Have we lost ourselves?  
Somewhere we live inside  
Somewhere we live inside_

"So what happened to Nagi anyway?" After walking for a while Schuldich had gotten bored with the silence, and even though Farfarello wasn't the best of company, he would have to do.  
"He was attacked by some guys." Farfarello was actually acting sane, which was unnerving Schuldich just a tad. "After I got there I killed them, but he was pretty badly beaten."  
"Did they do anything else, besides beat him up?"  
"Not that I know of or could tell, but you might ask him when he wakes up." Farfarello was definitely acting too sane for Schuldich's comfort, but he decided to let it slide. As long as he's in this sane mood, Schuldich might as well make the most of it.  
"So what happened after I was knocked out?" Or at least Schuldich was guessing he had been knocked out. Well, of course he was knocked out. He didn't really remember much about the meeting itself except…  
Except, had Brad actually started to come to his rescue? Again?  
"Basically Takatori just yelled. Then some guards came and dragged Nagi out. Crawford ordered that I go find him and take care of him. I don't know what happened after that." Farfarello was concentrating on kicking a rock down the sidewalk in front of them, and it made Schuldich smile.  
"Do you know where we are or are going?"  
"No, do you?"  
"No, not at all." 

_We were meant to live for so much more  
Have we lost ourselves?  
Somewhere we live inside_

"What's going on?" Schuldich actually felt Nagi's voice more than heard it. The teen's head was propped on his shoulder, so his breath came out against Schuldich's ear, sending a chill down his back.  
"I was going home, found you and Farf here along the way. Decided I'd pick you up." Schuldich smirked as he and Farfarello kept walking.  
"Schuldich!" Nagi's grasp quickly tightened into a hug, and Schuldich had to smile.  
"The one and only kid; the one and only." Even though Nagi was awake, Schuldich didn't bother setting the kid down, and since Nagi didn't object to being carried, he didn't worry about it. "Care to share what happened Chibi?"  
"Well the guards dragged me into their car, drove for a long time, and then ditched me." Nagi rattled off the facts without hesitation. That was the great thing about Schuldich and Nagi; Schuldich was like his older brother, and Nagi felt safe enough to tell Schuldich anything. "The guys that found me just beat the crap out of me for not having any money."  
"Why didn't you fight back?"  
"Like my mind was in a state to fight back Schuldich, really." Nagi chuckled lightly, and Schuldich smirked.  
"Good point. Well, I'm just glad you're still alive and well." Schuldich smiled faintly to himself, realizing just how much he really cared about Nagi and the others. They really were his family, and he was glad they were okay. Nagi had been through enough, Schuldich didn't want to see him in any more pain than he had to be in. At least Farfarello and Nagi hadn't been sent to Rosenkreuz like he had originally feared. Because of that, they could all eventually go home again. Together. 

_Dreaming about Providence  
And whether mice or men have second tries_

They walked in silence for quite a while, and Schuldich was finally beginning to think that Nagi had fallen asleep when the teen spoke up. "What are you thinking about Schuldich?"  
Taken aback by the question, Schuldich turned his head to the side so he could almost see Nagi. "I was thinking about how great it would be to get home again and go about stuff like we had been."  
"Do you really think that Esset will let us?" There was a pain in Nagi's voice, a distrust that made Schuldich curse under his breath. He hated to hear that pain in Nagi's voice, hated it because he knew it would effect how the kid dealt with them.  
"Well Nagi, we just won't give them the option. We are Schwarz, and that's all there is to it." Schuldich smirked; the thought of defying Esset was just too good. They could beat him down and beat him down, but in the end, he would still rise against them. And in those few seconds, Schuldich realized that without a doubt, he would fight to the death to keep Nagi from experiencing what he had, and that he would give his life to keep the members of Schwarz safe. And that was really all that mattered right then as he felt Nagi's arms tighten around him in a minute hug. 

_Maybe we've been livin with our eyes half open  
Maybe we're bent and broken, broken_

"Hey, you guys over there, stop!" Schuldich and Farfarello froze at the sound of voices calling out to them. They weren't familiar voices, but that didn't phase either of them. Schuldich quickly brushed against their minds, snarling at what he read from them.  
'They think we're weak because I'm carrying the kid.' Schuldich filled in his teammates telepathically. 'Let me do the talking, Farfarello, don't attack until I tell you to.'  
"We don't want any trouble; we were just on our way home." Schuldich called out to the darkness, knowing exactly where the other guys were. Three figures slowly emerged from the darkened alley to their side, and Schuldich made a mental check that two had bats.  
"Well that's just too bad," One of the guys with bats started to walk closer to them, and Schuldich felt Nagi tense, "because we could use a little trouble right about now."  
Schuldich slowly knelt and let Nagi climb off his back to stand on his own two feet, and that action alone seemed to make the punks draw back slightly. They had thought Nagi was wounded somehow, handicap. Schuldich smirked at the mental readings. Like Nagi would be handicap. 

_We want more than this world's got to offer  
We want more than this world's got to offer_

"I told you once, and I'll tell you again." Schuldich took a step closer to the punk that had started to approach them. "We don't want any trouble." His eyes narrowed and he stopped a few feet in front of the man, who wasn't backing down anymore. The bat gave him a false sense of security.  
"Yeah, and I told you kid, we could use some trouble right about now." The sneer that crossed the man's face could have rivaled Schuldich's, if he would have been sneering. But the telepath had better ideas. Using his speed to his advantage, he quickly pulled his gun from his coat, pressing the point of it to the other man's forehead.  
"I'm not a kid, and I'll pull this trigger in a heartbeat if you don't call off your other buddies." Schuldich stared at the man's eyes as he spoke the words, willing the man to believe him. Knowing that it was too dark for the man to remember anything about them, Schuldich took a gamble he usually wouldn't. But the only thing on his mind at that moment was getting home. "All three of us are trained assassins, and I have a feeling our leader would be very pissed off if he had to fill out the paperwork to get your deaths covered up."  
The man's eyes widened and he visibly tensed as the sneer faltered and finally disappeared from his face. "We meant no harm!" He stuttered as he took a few steps away from Schuldich, who pointed the gun skyward. The man turned to his friends and they all quickly took off back down the alleyway where they had come from. Schuldich smirked as he turned back to Nagi and Farfarello, and quickly put the gun away. But his own smirk faltered at the look on Nagi's face.  
"Would you have done it Schuldich?" Nagi asked after a moment, his voice quiet. "Would you really have killed that man?"  
Swallowing back the pride inside of him, Schuldich shook his head. "I would have been able to, only if they had really been trying to kill us." Standing there staring at Nagi's hurt expression; Schuldich felt something inside of himself breaking. He had broken another telepaths mind just hours before this, and somehow he could stand there face to face with Nagi and tell the boy he wouldn't do something unless it meant their death.  
He realized with a start that he had just flat out lied to Nagi.  
"What aren't you telling us?" Obviously Nagi was smarter than he looked, because he guessed the turmoil inside of Schuldich had to do with some deep secret.  
"I broke another telepath's mind without a second thought, just to get free from their team and find you guys." Schuldich watched the horror flash across Nagi's face, but then it was gone. Yet it was too late, Schuldich had seen it, and it had been there. Falling to his knees, Schuldich gripped the sides of his head and screamed for all he had in him. 

_We want more than the wars of our fathers  
And everything inside screams for second life, yeah_

"Schuldich, it's okay, it's going to be okay, just calm down." Schuldich was barely aware of the frail body holding his own, the small hand smoothing small circles on his back, trying desperately to calm the telepath down.  
Yet Schuldich couldn't control the shaking of his body. All he could think about was that stupid telepath and his stupid lover and who they would never be happy because they could never be just another normal couple. They'd love each other more than most married people could, but they'd never be able to prove it to each other in actions.  
Nagi felt Schuldich's body suddenly stop shaking; the telepath's breathing slowly returning to normal. Sparing a glance down at him, Nagi met Schuldich's eyes, and was almost frightened by them. "Schuldich?"  
"Let go of me Nagi." Schuldich slowly stood up as the boy moved away from him. "We're going home, and we're going to Schwarz again." Glancing from one team mate to the other, Schuldich smirked. "There's something I need to tell Brad." 

_We were meant to live for so much more  
Have we lost ourselves?_

"Schu, are you sure you know where we're going?" Nagi tagged along behind Schuldich, keeping a close eye on Farfarello. Schuldich just scoffed at the question and kept walking. It was really not reassuring to Nagi. "Schu, I swear I've seen this building before…"  
"It's dark Nagi; all the buildings look the same." 

_We were meant to live for so much more  
Have we lost ourselves?_

"Okay Schuldich this is insane, I know I've seen that building before!" Nagi groaned in frustration at the telepath's lack of caring. "Schuldich I'm serious, you're leading us in circles!"  
"Am I now, Nagi?" Schuldich smirked at the telekinetic, and in the faint light that the morning sun gave off, Nagi could see a small spark of amusement in Schuldich's eyes.  
"This isn't funny Schuldich, we might really be lost!" Frustrated at Schuldich's lack of caring about the situation, Nagi stormed up to the telepath and gave him a slight telekinetic shove. "I want to go home Schuldich, what do you find so damn amusing about that?"  
Smirking, Schuldich pointed across the street, and Nagi turned to look, fuming. But all his anger drained out of his body as he laid eyes on their house. "The penthouse… but… how'd you know where it was?"  
"I didn't." Schuldich grinned. "I just had to keep walking until I had some light to see by."  
"Schuldich, even I could have done that."  
"Then why didn't you?"  
"For some reason, I thought you knew what you were doing…" 

_We were meant to live for so much more  
Have we lost ourselves?_

"So who gets to do the honors?" Farfarello asked as they all approached the front door. Suddenly everyone seemed tense. The fact of the matter was, maybe this was a trap. Maybe they'd just get killed now that they had all managed to find their way home.  
"Only one way to figure it out." Schuldich smirked, and Nagi realized he had skimmed everyone's mind for some train of thought. But Schuldich was already reaching for the doorknob, so he didn't bother saying anything threatening.  
Schuldich's hand hesitated briefly over the doorknob, and as he reached to grab it, it turned underneath his faint grasp. He froze in his spot at the sight before him.  
Brad stood in the doorway, hand on the doorknob on the other side, welcoming them in. "Welcome home, Schwarz. I see you all passed the test." 

_We were meant to live  
We were meant to live_


	3. Changes

**Title**: Changes   
Part 3 of 3 in the One and One Make Two Arc   
**Note**: I think it took me longer to find a song that would work JUST right for this chapter than it did for me to actually write the chapter. XD Oh well. This part is done to "Changes", by 3 Doors Down. Took me forever to find something I like, blame my OCD for that. XD 

     Schuldich stared blankly at Brad as Farfarello and Nagi slid past him into the house. Brad stood holding the door open patiently, waiting for Schuldich to take those last few steps inside. Up until this moment, Schuldich had just planned on throwing himself on Brad and asking questions later. Now though, he just had to ask. "Test?"   
     "If you would come in, I could explain it to everyone at the same time." Brad's face was neutral, and Schuldich couldn't read a damn thing from his mind. After a few seconds Schuldich quickly stepped into the doorway, but stared at Brad for a few moments before he continued on to the living room where everyone else was already making themselves comfortable.   
     "So Brad," Schuldich turned back to their leader after he got comfortable on the sofa. "Tell us about this test, or whatever."    
     "Crawford." Brad commented dryly, never showing any more emotion then what he had started with. "And the test of which I speak of was done by Esset. They wanted to see what would truly happen if they were to break up Schwarz."    
     "So they just decided to test it out without a second thought?" Schuldich was pissed at the mere thought of that. "Dammit Brad, we aren't some puppets to just be used in experiments by them! We're fucking people!"    
     "But you all came back to me." Brad pointed out once Schuldich had stopped.    
     "We didn't come back to **you**," Schuldich fumed, standing up and taking a step closer to Brad. "We came back to Schwarz, because we didn't know any other way to live." Even though Schuldich knew that was an out and out lie. What he had come back for…

_I'm not supposed to be scared of anything, but I don't know where I am   
I wish that I could move but I'm exhausted and nobody understands_

     "My mistake. My statement was poorly worded." Brad nodded his head in agreement with Schuldich, but that was it. Schuldich just shook his head and stormed out of the living room and off to his own room, making sure to slam the door behind him.    
     "Should I go see if he's okay?" Nagi offered, but Brad just shook his head.   
     "Schuldich just needs some time to sort everything out. I get the feeling that something happened while you were all finding your way back here that didn't set well with him."   
     "You could say that…" And so Nagi explained everything he really knew about what had gone on, mentioning only as many details as were necessary of Schuldich's break down. When he was finished, Brad nodded and stood, walking calmly down to Schuldich's door and rapping lightly on it.   
     "Schuldich, are you in there?" Brad called lightly, hoping Schuldich hadn't taken any sort of drugs.   
     "No Brad, but fuckin' Santa Claus is." Schuldich snapped as he opened the door quickly. Brad merely stepped into the room, waiting patiently for Schuldich to either close the door or go back to what he had been doing. "What?" Schuldich snapped irritably after a few moments.   
     "We need to talk." With a calmness Brad really didn't feel, he crossed the room and sat down in the chair by Schuldich's bedside table.   
     Schuldich stood holding the door open a few more moments before closing it, although without slamming it this time, and then quickly crossed the room to sit on the edge of his bed. "Yeah we do." He agreed bitterly. "We need to talk about the limits Esset has over our team."   
     "Schuldich, Esset has few limits over anything, and you know that." Brad stared at Schuldich like he was a little kid being told that eating too much candy would make him sick for the seventh time in one day.   
     "But they should Brad, they should! They should not be allowed to just throw us around anywhere they want just to see if we'll make it out alive or not!" Part of Schuldich's anger came from breaking Martyr's mind, but most of it came from the rage of Esset using them. "We aren't just soldiers in a war Brad; we're not replaced that easily." Schuldich paused for a moment before adding, "Or are we?"

_I'm trying hard to breathe now but there's no air in my lungs   
There's no one here to talk to and the pain inside is making me numb_

     "No, Schuldich. Schwarz is not so easily replaced, but Esset needed to know where our loyalties lied; with them or with our team. If we would have followed their orders, they wouldn't have reinstated our team. But the fact that we all managed to find our way back proves to them that there is more to us than simply being a team." Brad smiled suddenly, and Schuldich mentally noted that his smile was very hansom. "In some strange and twisted way, we're like a family. A dysfunctional family, but a family none the less."   
     "So if you had a family, you'd just let Esset split you up to see if your 'family bond' was strong enough for everyone to just come back?" Schuldich stared incredulously at Brad. "If that's the case, I want to move out; unless you have something you need from me."   
     "You can't move out." Brad pointed out suddenly, almost too quickly for Schuldich's likes. There was an awkward pause before Brad went on. "What would you do if you did?"   
     "I'd have a life Brad, something outside of killing people, outside of breaking people's minds to get back to the life I thought I had. To get back to the people I thought cared about me." At the last comment Schuldich stared down at his hands in his lap, feeling extremely guilty for some odd reason. They sat there in silence for a few moments as Brad tried desperately to grasp some logical words to say.   
     "Schuldich, all of us would give everything just to have a normal life, but we have to face the fact that we'll never have a normal life." Brad's voice was calm and quiet, and if Schuldich hadn't known better, he'd have guessed it was masking fear, or maybe pain.   
     "But we wouldn't give everything to care about each other, because that's a weakness, right?" The cynicism in Schuldich's voice almost killed him, and an emotion flashed through Brad's eyes for a split second, but was gone before he could read it.   
     "Schuldich, that's not true." Slowly Brad removed his glasses and set them on Schuldich's night stand as he rubbed the bridge of his nose carefully.   
     "Then what is true Brad? You tell me, right here, right now, what is true." Schuldich knew he was pushing it, could tell Brad was worn out about something, but he wanted to know. He just had to know before he could rest in peace.

_I try to hold this under control   
They can't help me 'cause no one knows _

     "You want the truth Schuldich?" Brad leaned forward so that there was about two inches between the two of them before he continued. "The truth Schuldich is that I love you." And before Schuldich could think of anything to respond with, Brad had closed the distance between them, and the kiss erased anything coherent that Schuldich had been thinking from his mind.   
     "Dinner's ready, if you two care." The kiss was abruptly broken at the sound of Nagi's voice from the doorway, and Brad almost had the grace to look embarrassed. Schuldich nodded mutely at the boy, who just rolled his eyes and went back towards the kitchen.   
     "I am really hungry." Schuldich commented after a moment of awkward silence, and Brad sighed.   
     "Your hunger is always first on your mind Schuldich." Brad smiled weakly as he started to stand up, but Schuldich quickly reached up and wrapped his arm around Brad's neck, effectively pulling his leader back down towards him.   
     "Trust me Brad, food was the last thing on my mind when I woke up as part of someone else's team." Receiving a faint smile, Schuldich let go of Brad and followed him out of Schuldich's room. Smirking as he shoved his hands into his pockets, Schuldich couldn't help but hum merrily to himself as he half walked, half skipped down the hallway after Brad. 

     What he wanted, what he really wanted…

_Now I'm going through changes, changes   
God, I feel so frustrated lately   
When I get suffocated, save me   
Now I'm going through changes, changes _

     "Schuldich, why don't you just learn how to use chop sticks?" Nagi watched with idle amusement as Schuldich speared some food off his plate and shoved it in his mouth.   
     "Because," Schuldich made sure to chew and swallow the food before he continued talking, "chopsticks are highly overrated. And where I'm from, we use forks."   
     "So? That hasn't stopped Brad yet."   
     "Brad's a precognitive. He probably saw this coming, and thusly didn't waste his time meandering over how to use silverware properly. In college, he probably ate pizza every day like in the movies." Grinning, Schuldich speared a piece of meat off of Nagi's plate and stuffed it in his mouth before the younger boy could protest.   
     "I'll have you know I did no such thing." Brad commented dryly as he ate his supper, attempting to ignore Nagi's sudden protests at Schuldich eating his food. Finishing his meal, Brad stood up and took his dishes to the sink, and then turned back to others. "Nagi, it's your night to clean up, Schuldich, make sure Farfarello is secured for the night before going to bed. I've had a rough day, but I'm behind in work. I don't want anyone to disturb me until tomorrow." With that said, Brad quickly left the room, Nagi and Schuldich watching as he did so.   
     "You'd think we had never been thrown out on the street." Nagi replied, highly irritated. "At least you have to take care of Farf."   
     "Yeah well, taking care of Farf is quite a bit easier than doing dishes and cleaning up after me you know." Schuldich smirked, waving a speared vegetable at Nagi, who just shook his head.   
     "Whatever, you heard Brad, don't bother him until tomorrow." Nagi rose, and the dishes levitated after him and into the sink. Rolling his eyes at Nagi's sudden interest over whether or not he bothered Brad, Schuldich got up and ushered Farfarello off to his room and made sure he was secure for the night before heading to his own room.   
     Schuldich's room was the door down from Brad's, and on the way he chanced a glance at the tightly closed door. Brad had specifically said that no one should bother him, which meant of course, no one.   
     Granted that didn't stop Schuldich's urge to go in unannounced and wreck Brad's current working mood. With his hand on the doorknob Schuldich stopped. If Brad had wanted to see him that night, he would have gone to Schuldich, not locked himself inside his room. Sliding to the floor beside Brad's still closed doors, Schuldich stared at the ceiling. Life just wasn't fair. He was still staring at the floor some time later when a mass of brown hair suddenly blocked his view.   
     "You should get some rest." Nagi's voice was quiet, so as not to disturb anyone else. Schuldich just nodded mutely, but made no attempt to move. Nagi shook his head, standing up straight again and frowning. "Maybe Brad was wrong, maybe he's not ready for a relationship, and maybe, neither are you."   
     Watching as the boy left, Schuldich was left to contemplate the thought until he drifted off to sleep, still sitting by Brad's door.

_I'm feeling weak and weary walking through this world alone   
Everything you say, every word of it, cuts me to the bone   
I've got something to say, but now I've got no where to turn   
It feel like I've been buried underneath all the weight of the world_

     Schuldich woke with a start the next morning, pounding his alarm clock until it stopped. He really needed to get it fixed, but just wasn't in the mood to take it to the shop. Getting out of bed, he stretched, and then realized with a start that he hadn't changed clothes since the other day.   
     And then he remembered that he had fallen asleep outside of Brad's door. Rising slowly, Schuldich changed clothes while still pondering the thought. Maybe Nagi had come back after he had fallen asleep and floated him to bed. That would explain why he hadn't woken. If in fact someone had actually carried him, Schuldich was pretty sure he'd have woken up. Of course, he had been rather tired.   
     Making his way down the hallway, Schuldich was happy to smell the freshly made coffee. His only reward for waking up this god damn early every morning was drinking coffee with Crawford. Of course, this morning might be a bit different than others.   
     "Morning." Crawford greeted Schuldich without looking up from his paper, and Schuldich merely grunted in response. Right now, he wasn't too sure if he could trust his voice. For some odd reason, he suddenly remembered Lok and Martyr and how they couldn't touch each other. Right now, he felt the same with Crawford. He was there, but Schuldich just didn't dare reach out and touch him. And suddenly, he wondered if he would go insane not being able to have what he really wanted…   
     "Is something the matter?" Crawford's voice shattered Schuldich's thoughts, and he quickly realized he had been staring.   
     "Oh sorry, no, nothing." Quickly turning back to the coffee maker, Schuldich poured himself a cup full and sat down at the table.

_I try to hold this under control   
They can't help me 'cause no one knows_

     "Would you like a section?" Crawford offered the paper as he did every morning, and Schuldich knew damn well not to ask for anything Crawford was still reading. Not feeling much for reading, Schuldich shook his head and sipped at his coffee. It was surprisingly strong today.   
     "Did you put more coffee grinds in today? This is awfully strong." Schuldich snatched the cream and sugar from the center of the table and loaded his coffee down.   
     "Two nights ago I didn't sleep. I guess I just forgot to change the amount of grinds I put in." Crawford continued reading his paper like it was no big deal, but Schuldich quickly put two and two together.   
     "You were waiting for us to get back?" Schuldich noticed a brief moment of unguarded weariness as Crawford slowly folded the paper and set it down on the table.   
     "Indeed, I had no fear that you would all overcome whatever challenges were set before you and would make your way back here. It was only a matter of time." Crawford's voice was quiet, void of all emotion. If only Schuldich could have been void of emotion as well.   
     "_Whatever_ challenges? You make it sound like a game **Crawford**. We aren't your damn puppets you know." Schuldich specifically used Crawford's preferred name, letting him know he wasn't on as friendly of terms at the moment.

_Now I'm going through changes, changes   
God, I feel so frustrated lately   
When I get suffocated, save me   
Now I'm going through changes, changes _

     "Schu please…" Crawford rubbed the bridge of his nose as he set his glasses aside. "It's early; I'm not in the mood for your mood swings. I didn't mean it like that. I merely meant that, well frankly you are all assassins for crying out loud, I had no doubt you'd be able to make your way back here if you saw it fit."   
     "Dammit Brad, it wasn't that simple." Schuldich quickly turned his attention to his coffee, watching the liquid swirl around in his mug. He lowered his voice, suddenly not wanting to wake anyone else up. "You don't understand what we went through out there. Nagi got the shit beat out of him, Farfarello killed the people who beat him up, I broke another telepath's mind…" Pausing, Schuldich turned to Crawford, the first hint of tears welling up in his eyes. "Brad, when Nagi found out I broke another's mind… the look he gave me… it was fear. It was disappointment, fear, anger, and somewhere down in the bottom of his heart, for those few seconds, I think he hated me."   
     Schuldich turned his attention back to his coffee, willing the tears not to fall. They sat in an ever growing awkward silence, before slowly Schuldich stood up. Brad's eyes followed him slowly, a heavy guiltiness hanging in them unhidden. Carefully Schuldich set his mug by the sink and headed towards the front door.   
     "Schuldich, where are you going?" Crawford's voice called after him, but Schuldich didn't answer. He didn't stop walking.

     He didn't slam the door behind himself either.

_I'm blind and shakin'   
Bound and breaking   
I hope I make it through all these changes _

     "Crawford…" Nagi stepped around the corner from the hallway into the kitchen, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I don't hate Schuldich, really I don't." He paused, trying to catch his breath. "Where's he going?"   
     Crawford sat still, watching the vision play out in front of him. When it finished he quickly got up, crossed the room to the door, and pulled on his coat from where he had left it by the door earlier. "I'm going to get Schuldich, Nagi stay here." Opening the door, Crawford turned back to Nagi, half smiling in reassurance. "Everything will be fine." With that, he quickly exited, closing the door tightly behind himself and heading out into the early morning chill.

* * *

     Schuldich tossed the cigarette butt into the air and watched its slow descent down towards the water below. His fingers were stiff from the early morning chill, and the tears that had leaked past had frozen tiny rivers down his face. All he could think of was that it was cold. Oh so cold. This wasn't what he wanted; it wasn't supposed to end like this.

     What he really wanted… all he ever really wanted…

* * *

     Brad pressed his foot down further onto the gas pedal. He wouldn't get pulled over, that he was sure of. Why he had felt the need to crank the heater on full blast he had no idea, but something told him to do it so he did. However, the heat was starting to get to him, considering he was still wearing his coat. Not wanting to waste a second, Brad didn't give it a second thought. Instead, he stayed focused on where he was going.   
     As his car neared the bridge, his heart skipped several beats. 

     Slowly, as if in a dream, Schuldich took the final step off the bridge's ledge, never looking back. Brad slammed on the brakes, the car skidding sideways. He was out of the car and running down the steep incline towards the river before the car had even stopped. He shed his coat as he ran, eyes frantically searching the water. Without a second thought, Brad dove into the icy water as soon as he was close enough to even guess where Schuldich was.   
     The freezing and slightly polluted water burned at his eyes, but Brad fought to keep them open. He needed to see Schuldich, needed to pull him out. At such extreme temperatures, his body would start to shut down within minutes. Finally spotting something red in the water, Brad reached out and grabbed, being rewarded with a fistful of the telepath's coat. Kicking furiously against the weight of his waterlogged clothes, Brad slowly fought to get them both to shore.   
     Upon reaching shore and finding Schuldich to have no pulse, Brad quickly set about to performing a few rounds of CPR, until Schuldich finally awoke, spitting and sputtering a few mouthfuls of water onto the ground beside himself. But his lips were blue and his body had stopped shivering, so Brad quickly picked up his chilled body and trudged back up the hill towards the car.   
     Completely thankful no one else was on the back road this early in the morning, Brad all but dumped Schuldich into the passenger seat and buckled him in. He retrieved his coat from where he had left it, and threw it over the telepath's body. Then he climbed into the car and headed towards the penthouse.

_Now I'm going through changes, changes   
God, I feel so frustrated lately   
When I get suffocated, save me   
Now I'm falling apart, now I feel it _

     "Crawford, what happened?" Nagi's worried voice ambushed the precog the moment he walked into the penthouse carrying the telepath, who was still wrapped in Brad's coat. Brad quickly waved the ambush of questions away as he headed towards the bathroom. Closing and locking the door behind himself, he set Schuldich on the bathroom counter as he slowly started to work at pulling off Schuldich's clothes.   
     Finally turning his full attention to Schuldich, Brad grasped the telepath's face within his hands and met his eyes. "Schuldich if you can hear me I need you to respond in some way, shape, or form." After receiving no response, Brad pressed his eyes shut tightly, his fingers twitching involuntarily as he quickly added a mere, "Please, Schu…"   
     "Brad…" Schuldich blinked suddenly, his voice quiet and hurting as fresh tears swelled up in his eyes. "Why the fuck did you save you?"   
     Brad never answered; he merely finished pulling Schuldich's clothes off. He needed to get the telepath dry and into something warm before his body temperature dropped any lower. Grabbing the nearest towels, Brad quickly set to drying Schuldich's body off, and then wrapped a towel around his hair to keep it off his skin. Grabbing his bathrobe off the hook on the back of the door, Brad quickly wrapped Schuldich up in it, and set to removing his own wet clothes. He dried off carelessly but efficiently enough before grapping another bathrobe and wrapping up in it. He scooped Schuldich up in his arms again and proceed out of the bathroom and off to his room. Once again locking the door behind himself, Brad gently laid Schuldich under the covers of his bed and crawled in beside him, carefully spooning him to add more of his own body heat. He had no efficient way of warming Schuldich back up. A warm bath would have sent him into shock, so this was all he could think of. Just add more layers. Crawford had picked his own bed for obvious reasons. For one, it was cleaner. Two, it was warmer than Schuldich's room. Third, Schuldich's room was a mess and Crawford probably would have killed them both in an attempt to get to Schuldich's bed.   
     After what seemed like forever, Schuldich rolled out of Crawford's embrace to lie on his side so they were facing each other and no longer touching. "Why?" Schuldich's voice was quiet, almost harsh. "Why didn't you let me die?" Fresh tears welled up in his eyes, and he didn't bother holding them in.   
     Crawford reached over tentatively and brushed the tears off the telepath's face. "We don't hate you Schuldich. And frankly, I've given up so much to keep you alive that there's no way I could let you die on us." A faint smile traced Crawford's lips as he continued. "When you fell asleep at my door, I put you to bed. When you couldn't find drugs to overdose yourself on, I had hidden them. When you attempted to jump off that bridge the first time, I caught you. When you wanted to put a bullet through your head, I took the bullets from your gun. When Takatori knocked you out…" here Crawford paused, a look of sadness on his face. "Although I can never stop the initial attacks for fear of our jobs and lives, after he knocks you out, I always take the remaining blows for you."   
     "Brad-" Schuldich started to speak, but was silenced when Crawford laid his index finger across his lips.   
     "No, let me finish." Crawford removed his finger, brushing his hand along Schuldich's cheek. "You know me, Schuldich. You know I don't admit to things such as this lightly and without meaning. What I said earlier was true." Crawford paused, fighting for words suddenly. "From the bottom of my heart, Schuldich, I love you, and I could never bear to face a day without waking up and having you join me for coffee."

_Now I'm going through changes, changes   
God, I feel so frustrated lately   
When I get suffocated, I hate this _

     "I never got to tell you how I felt earlier." Schuldich smirked suddenly as he snuggled closer to Crawford's chest. "I never got to tell you, Crawford- no- Brad. I never got to tell you just how much I love you as well. But I have one thing to say."   
     Crawford stared down at the telepath, suddenly afraid of what he was about to say. After realizing Schuldich was waiting to be questioned, Crawford quickly prompted him with a mere, "What?"   
     "All I have to say, Brad, is that…" Smiling at Crawford suddenly, Schuldich fought off laughter.

_But I'm going through changes, changes _

     "You were late." Schuldich pointed out, to be rewarded with a smile from Crawford and a small chuckle.   
     "Yes, I know. Forgive me." Crawford kissed Schuldich lightly on the forehead, and the telepath smirked like he always did.   
     "You know Brad…

     …all I ever wanted…

     …was _you_."

* * *

**   
Note**: Oh I know that was a really super bad ending. :( Forgive me. I am tired, and it's 11am and I have church tomorrow and ugh. I didn't get a chance to proof this final chapter, so I'm just hoping everyone enjoyed it and can work around my mistakes. If you want to read something by me that's worthwhile- go read Turn Your Back or Fade to Black. Those are actually worthwhile. Gomen. BTW, the new editor thing is really super crappy and is throwing me off. So um, yeah.


End file.
